Polish Parliament honours poet Zbigniew Herbert
PR dla Zagranicy
Victoria Bieniek
28.10.2017 08:30
Poland's parliament has declared 2018 the Year of Zbigniew Herbert as the 20th anniversary of the poet's death will be marked on 28 July next year.
Zbigniew Herbert. Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)
Parliament said Herbert was “one of the most prominent 20th-century Polish and European poets”.
“In his poetry, Herbert expressed a love for freedom as well as faith in the dignity and moral strength of the individual”, parliament added in a resolution.
It also stressed that Herbert introduced into the Polish language many phrases that “build our identity and imagination”.
Sunday, 29 October, marks the 93rd anniversary of Herbert’s birth. He was a poet, essayist, and playwright. His most popular works include Pan Cogito (Mr. Cogito), Raport z oblężonego miasta (Report from a Besieged City), Struna światła (The Chord of Light), Hermes, pies i gwiazda (Hermes, Dog and Star), and Barbarzyńca w ogrodzie (The Barbarian in the Garden).
An anti-communist, Herbert gave his wholehearted support to the Solidarity movement. After the imposition of martial law in December 1981, his poems were recited at clandestine Solidarity meetings. His works have been translated into 38 languages. He was posthumously awarded the Order of the White Eagle, the highest Polish state distinction. (mk/vb)